Kai Sotto hardly plays as Adelaide 36ers miss NBL playoffs

Photo from Kai Sotto’s Instagrami so

MANILA, Philippines—Kai Sotto and the Adelaide 36ers bowed out of playoff contention after succumbing to Melbourne United, 117-107, in the National Basketball League at John Cain Arena in Melbourne on Sunday.

Sotto hardly played, logging just two minutes off the bench to finish the game scoreless with only one rebound.

The loss sent the 36ers, who were coming off back-to-back wins over the Sydney Kings and the Cairns Taipans, to a 13-15 record.

The 7-foot-3 Filipino center had four points, seven rebounds and two blocks in a 115-108 upset of the top-seeded Kings on Friday.

Antonious Cleveland shot 30 points for Adelaide while Sunday Dech added 20 but their efforts were not enough to keep Adelaide’s playoff hopes alive.

Rayjon Tucker powered Melbourne United (15-13) with 31 points, eight boards and five assists.

Chris Goulding and Xavier Rathan-Mayes also helped Melbourne in a huge way with 23 and 21 points, respectively.